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Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Hardcover)

January 2013 Indie Next List

“I loved Timmy Failure. Pastis employs his signature wit and off-beat humor in telling Timmy's gumshoe adventures, but discerning readers will discover a realistic story underneath the jests, as this loveable and well-meaning underdog messes up, and then messes up some more. Timmy's not always the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he does have the advantage of being the only P.I. in town who has a ravenous polar bear for a sidekick. Move over, Wimpy Kid, there's a bigger Failure in town.”
— Robert McDonald, The Book Stall At Chestnut, Winnetka, IL

Description

Want to aspire to greatness? Check out this new edition of Timmy Failure's first adventure featuring the bonus section How to Draw Timmy and Total. He may be clueless, but the comically self-confident Timmy Failure is CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Now Timmy's legion of fans are invited to set off on their own path to mastery with the help from Stephan Pastis. Added material includes step-by-step instructions on how to draw Timmy and his impressively lazy business partner, the polar bear Total including a trick to making them both look a "tiny "bit nuts (hint: the secret is in the eyes). Even better, kids are invited to share the spotlight with Timmy by sending their drawings to his website, for a chance to be featured in the Timmy Failure Gallery of Greatness.

About the Author

Stephan Pastis is the creator of "Pearls Before Swine," an acclaimed comic strip that appears in more than six hundred newspapers and boasts a devoted following. His 2011 compilation "Larry in Wonderland" debuted at #1 on the "New York Times" bestseller list for paperback graphic novels. "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made" is his first book for young readers. He lives in Northern California.

Praise For…

Timmy Failure is a winner!—Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy KidTimmy Failure is a fabulously fun read and the line drawings are a treat. It's original and quirky, with real heart.—Philipp ArdaghPastis crafts a great story starring an unforgettable protagonist whose unorthodox approach to detective work (and world domination) will have readers in stitches. For Timmy Failure, success is the only option!—Lincoln Peirce, creator of the Big Nate seriesPastis has assembled an eccentric and funny cast (running gags revolve around Total’s voracious appetite and a librarian who looks like one of the Hells Angels), yet there are also touching interactions to be found...—Publishers Weekly…Readers should be simultaneously amused and touched by this quirky antihero.—BooklistThe Pearls Before Swine cartoonist’s frequent black-and-white illustrations help to cast Timmy’s adventure in an appropriately ironic light. Timmy… has greatness in him. Just like all of us.—Kirkus ReviewsPastis ... peppers nearly every page of this comic romp with at least one intentionally amateurish black-and-white illustration, enhancing the laughs along the way as Timmy misses even the most obvious clues in Clouseauesque fashion. Middle grade readers will appreciate all the silly sleuthing and absurd details, and older readers–including parents who come along for the ride–will find a satisfying layer of more sophisticated humor, too.—School Library JournalSeldom has failure been so likable—or so funny.—The Wall Street Journal